This invention relates to a flow control and measurement device that is adapted to be connected to a pipeline or another fluid supply.
The present invention is extremely versatile, permitting performance of multiple functions with a small number of components. In one embodiment, the invention functions as a flow distribution valve. Flow entering the valve may be separated and distributed to as many as 24 separate output ports. The potential applications are numerous. The valve may be used to distribute controlled amounts of a lubricant supply to as many as 24 bearings or other machine parts. In another application, a constant output flow rate may be maintained irrespective of changes in incoming fluid pressure. In yet another application, the valve is used to separate fluids of various specific gravities contained in a tank according to the specific gravities of the individual fluids within the tank. Many other applications are envisioned.
The invention also functions as a flow control valve. The rate of flow through valve is a function of the pressure between the inlet and outlet portions. Below a certain pressure, the valve shuts off. Flow does not occur through the valve at all. Conventional flow valves often cannot detect flow rates below 0.3 to 0.5 gallons per minute. Small leaks can persist undetected in such valves, resulting in substantial waste of water. The present valve is advantageous in that flow is not allowed at very flow rates. Small, often hard to detect, leaks are eliminated. The flow control and flow distribution attributes of this valve may be combined, with flow occuring only above a particular pressure and with that flow being distributed among as many as 24 outlets.
The invention may also be utilized as a flow meter, with the rate of flow through the device being measured. Essentially, this involves attachment of sensing means to detect downward movement of valve portion. As this movement is a function of the flow rate, an accurate measurement of the flow rate is obtained. The sensing means may be electrical, such as a potentiometer, or mechanical, such as a transparent scale positioned on the device.
Finally, the present invention may be used as a level gauge. With the inlet portion connected to pressure at the bottom of the tank and the outlet portion connected to pressure at the top of the tank, the amount of valve movement is in direct relation to the pressure at the bottom of the tank, and thus, is an indication of the level of fluid in the tank.